Safety
by KDMOSP
Summary: Reid's POV: JJ's injured and Reid is there with her, holding her hand, reminding her she is safe with him.


**AN: This is the first and only time I've ever written from Reid's POV. I know I said I wouldn't write anymore but I had a dream about this and just had to write it...**

**I am not too happy with it, but whatever :) Please review. **

You pace the waiting room, back and forth, for hours now. Your mind is racing with thoughts of what has gone wrong, of why it is taking so long. It shouldn't take this long.

You glance up at the clock and realize it has only been three hours; three hours since your best friend was rushed into emergency surgery. Nearly four hours since you thought you had lost her.

And you know the risk is still ever present. That when she had finally arrived in the emergency room, she had lost a lot of blood; that she was somehow still breathing on her, but the injuries were horrific.

And you were glad that she had finally lost consciousness. Because when you had first found her; she was aware. She had responded to your voice when you had shaken her, checked for a pulse, when you and Emily had worked together to save her life.

And when she had opened her eyes, you saw the pain in her eyes. She cried out in pain and tried to sit up, panic overtaking her body as tremendous pain rocketed through her body. You had held her down, forcing her to look at you as Emily and Rossi worked in tandem to stop the bleeding.

You had asked her questions, assessed her for other injuries and did your best to keep her calm. At one point, you knew the pain had become overwhelming as she began to shake in pain and all you could do was hope the paramedics would arrive soon. You hoped they could give her pain medicine but knew that was not up to them; it would be the doctors call. And if there was a risk of a head injury, you knew the doctor would most likely withhold that medicine.

And when the paramedics arrived and began jostling and attending to the horrific wound, she tried not to scream out in pain, but it was too monumental and moments later, she had lost consciousness.

She had not regained it.

The emergency room doctor had come out and spoken with you and Emily briefly, letting you know that JJ had made it to surgery and that she would be there for several hours. That the surgeon would do everything in her power to save the remnants of what was her left leg.

But you knew. You knew there was no hope. You had known that the moment you had found her on the ground. Your only goal at that time was keeping JJ alive and stop her from bleeding to death.

And you had done that.

Now, it was a waiting game.

And you wait and wait and wait.

Six hours later, you and the team are called back into a small room. Will is on the way, but you are in Anchorage and flights aren't easy to grab. So, its you and the team.

And Emily as unit chief is making the decisions for JJ. The urgent decisions that cannot wait for Will.

The surgeon explains all the injuries they have discovered, a lot of internal bleeding and broken bones; all of which they are currently being handled in the operating room.

And then the surgeon explains what they need consent to do and after much discussion, hands Emily a clipboard and pen. Emily looks to you, you who understand the risks and you who nod.

It truly is the only way. And Emily signs the consent.

The consent that will permanently take your best friend out of the field.

It is three in the morning before you are allowed to see her, to walk into the sterile ICU room. And a weak smile crosses your lips as you see her. She is breathing on her own, with only a nasal cannula to provide some extra oxygen.

The nurse tells you that JJ is holding well, that her vitals have been stable the entire time and that she expects JJ to slowly begin waking up.

So you sit down and take her hand, ready to be there when she does open her eyes. And she does; less than an hour later, her eyes open for th first time in ten hours.

"Spense…" Her voice is hoarse.

"JJ, shh. You're okay." You stand up and glance at the monitors. Her heart rate has picked up and you know she is in pain. "You're in the hospital, but you're safe." You reassure her.

And she nods, reaching up to grab the tube in her nose. You gently grab her hand and stop her. "You need that right now," you explain, knowing that she is probably still groggy from the trauma and medications.

"What…" She opens her eyes again and looks at you. "What happened?"

"You got hurt JJ, but you're okay now." It isn't the time to go into details, not now. And she nods before falling back to sleep.

You lean back in the chair, gently holding her hand. Silently promising to keep her safe. And thinking how you are going to break it to her that a bomb was hidden in a barn she had been lured into.

That because she was trying to save a child's life, because she did save a child's life, her life would forever be changed.

A nurse walks in and smiles at you, "I just need to check her wound, make sure the bleeding is slowing."

You watch as she peels back the white sheet and for the first time, you see what Emily had consented to.

Nothing remains of JJ's left leg, its been amputated up to her thigh. The injuries were just too significant.

The nurse sees you looking. "It's okay, I know it's a shock, but she will get used to it."

And you nod and know, without a doubt, that JJ will keep moving forward, that somehow, someway, she will turn this into a positive.

And you sit back down and grab her hand. Thankful she is alive and holding you hand.


End file.
